Crazy Joe (film)
| Crazy Joe | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Carlo Lizzani |
| Produced by | Dino De Laurentiis |
| Written by | Lewis John Carlino |
| Story by | Nicholas Gage |
| Starring |
Peter Boyle Paula Prentiss Rip Torn Fred Williamson Eli Wallach |
| Music by | Giancarlo Chiaramello |
| Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
| Edited by | Peter Zinner |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
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1974 |
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Running time
|
100 minutes |
| Language | English |
Crazy Joe is a 1974 Italian drama film directed by Carlo Lizzani. It is based on the real life events of Joseph Gallo, a mobster member of the Colombo crime family. The film stars Peter Boyle in the title role, with Paula Prentiss, Fred Williamson, Rip Torn and Eli Wallach.
Hot-tempered gangster Joe Gallo pulls a knife on a man in a theater who complains about Joe's talking during the movie. Joe then gets into a car with his brother Richie and cronies Jelly and Mannie, don masks, pull guns and do a mob hit in a New York restaurant.
Joe and Richie are offended when their boss, Falco, doesn't even invite them into his home, then pays them just $100 each for the job. They crash through the gates of his stately lakeside mansion and take Falco's brother and others prisoner. It is left up to the head of all New York crime families, Don Vittorio, to settle the dispute. Falco agrees to reward Joe and Richie in the future, then double-crosses them, his thugs nearly strangling Richie to death before burying Jelly in cement.
Coletti, who also betrayed Joe and Richie, takes over Falco's operations after the terminally ill Falco dies inside an iron lung. Richie is also ill, suffering from a stomach ailment. His brother "Crazy Joe" is set up, cops catching him red-handed as he tries to extort a merchant. Joe is sent to prison, where he befriends Willy, a black inmate, and helps Willy instigate a prison riot over the prison's unjust conditions. Joe is glad to have a new ally, particularly with the terminally ill Richie committing suicide by driving a car off a cliff.
As soon as Joe gets out of jail, he returns to New York and the woman in his life, Anne, then begins building his crime organization with the help of Willy and Harlem associates. "Crazy Joe" becomes a notorious figure in New York, known for his temper but also for his colorful associations around town.
Joe has a confrontation with Coletti and vows to avenge the betrayal that landed him behind bars. But before he can, Don Vittorio beats him to it. Upset with an Italo-American federation Coletti has organized that attracted unwanted attention to the crime families, Don Vittorio arranges for Coletti to be assassinated at a rally and for Joe to be blamed.
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